WILL ST. GERMAIN HAVE AN
OUTDOOR LIGHTING ORDINANCE?
The Town Board thanks all who submitted written comments on this topic over the past two months. While the majority of commenters did not support an outdoor lighting ordinance, most who did made specific reference to lakeshore lighting being their primary concern.
The WI Legislature passed Act 55 in 2015. That action was (and still is) controversial because it reduced the authority of counties (and towns) to enact certain restrictions within the State designated Shoreland zone (within 300 feet of a lake or 150 feet of a stream). The provisions of Act 55 are now codified in Wisconsin Statute 59.692.
Section 59.692(k)(a)1 specifically addresses residential outdoor lighting within the shoreland zone: Wisconsin DNR shoreland rules "may not impair the interest of a landowner in shoreland property by establishing a shoreland zoning standard, and a county may not impair the interest of a landowner in shoreland property by enacting or enforcing a shoreland zoning ordinance, that does any of the following:
- Requires any approval to install or maintain outdoor lighting in shorelands, imposes any fee or mitigation requirement to install or maintain outdoor lighting in shorelands, or otherwise prohibits or regulates outdoor lighting in shorelands if the lighting is designed or intended for residential use."
As a result of this legislation, counties (and towns that adopt county shoreland zoning rules, as St. Germain does) are prohibited from adopting ordinance provisions restricting residential waterfront outdoor lighting. Therefore, the St. Germain Town Board has tabled, indefinitely, any further consideration of an outdoor lighting ordinance.
However, the Town Board encourages all property owners, waterfront and off water, to select outdoor lighting fixtures with consideration of neighboring properties and those across water bodies. While LED lighting technology has many good points, careful selection of appropriate lighting is important. Please consider the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting by visiting the following websites:
